Global Update: AIDS: Panel Warns That Without New Direction, Epidemic Will Remain Out of Control at 50
Really?
The Claim: A Person Can Pay Off a Sleep Debt by Sleeping Late on Weekends
By ANAHAD O’CONNOR
Studies have found that, even after increasing sleep, it can take a week or more for the cognitive and physiological consequences of too little rest to wear off.
Public Release: 2-Nov-2009
CHEST 2009
Chest
Sleep apnea therapy improves golf game
A new study presented at CHEST 2009, the 75th annual international scientific assembly of the American College of Chest Physicians, found that golfers with obstructive sleep apnea who received nasal positive airway pressure for their disorder improved their daytime sleepiness scores and lowered their golf handicap by as much as three strokes.
Contact: Jennifer Stawarz
jstawarz@chestnet.org
847-498-8306
American College of Chest Physicians
Public Release: 2-Nov-2009
Nature Genetics
The entwined destinies of mankind and leprosy bacteria
Leprosy still affects hundreds of thousands of people today throughout the entire world. An international team headed by EPFL professor Stewart Cole has traced the history of the disease from ancient Egypt to today and in doing so has made a public health study essential for combating the disease.
Contact: Stewart Cole
stewart.cole@epfl.ch
41-216-931-851
Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne
Public Release: 2-Nov-2009
Psychological Science
Sneezing in times of a flu pandemic
The swine flu (H1N1) pandemic has received extensive media coverage this year. The World Health Organization, in addition to providing frequent updates about cases of infection and death tolls, recommends hyper vigilance in daily hygiene such as frequent hand washing or sneezing into the crook of our arms. News reports at all levels, from local school closures to airport screenings and global disease surveillance, continue to remind us of the high risk.
Contact: Kevin Sisson
ksisson@psychologicalscience.org
202-293-9300
Association for Psychological Science
Old drugs reveal surprising new tricks
10:24 02 November 2009
Comparing the behaviour of different drug molecules may help prevent harmful side effects of new drugs and point to new uses for old ones
Microbes' globe-trotting has made them less diverse
THIS WEEK:  14:14 02 November 2009
The way microbes disperse via wind and dust storms means that the number of unique species may be smaller than expected
Public Release: 2-Nov-2009
Earth and Planetary Science Letters
'Ultra-primitive' particles found in comet dust
Dust samples collected from the stratosphere have yielded an unexpectedly rich trove of relicts from the ancient cosmos, report scientists from the Carnegie Institution. The dust includes presolar grains and material from interstellar molecular clouds. This "ultra-primitive" material likely wafted into the atmosphere after the Earth passed through the trail of an Earth-crossing comet in 2003, giving scientists a rare opportunity to study cometary dust in the laboratory.
NASA, NASA Astrobiology Institute, US Office of Naval Research, US Department of Energy
Contact: Larry Nittler
lnittler@ciw.edu
202-478-8460
Carnegie Institution
Public Release: 2-Nov-2009
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences
There's a speed limit to the pace of evolution, Penn biologists say
A major conclusion of the work is that for some organisms, possibly including humans, continued evolution will not translate into ever-increasing fitness. Moreover, a population may accrue mutations at a constant rate –- a pattern long considered the hallmark of "neutral" or non-Darwinian evolution - even when the mutations experience Darwinian selection.
Burroughs Wellcome Fund, David and Lucille Packard Foundation, James S. McDonnell Foundation, Alfred P. Sloan Foundation, US Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, National Science Foundation
Contact: Jordan Reese
jreese@upenn.edu
215-573-6604
University of Pennsylvania
Humans are an acquired taste for lions
16:15 02 November 2009
Tissue from two notorious 19th-century man-eaters shows that one of them took the lion's share of human prey
Public Release: 2-Nov-2009
Circulation
Researchers identify the 3 killer indicators that are even worse than high cholesterol
Researchers at the University of Warwick have identified a particular combination of health problems that can double the risk of heart attack and cause a three-fold increase in the risk of mortality.
Contact: Kelly Parkes-Harrison
k.e.parkes@warwick.ac.uk
44-247-657-4255
University of Warwick
Atmospheric 'tides' trigger landslides at night
17:43 02 November 2009
Some landslides slip more at night than during the day, probably because of tiny changes in atmospheric pressure
Premature Births Are Fueling Higher Rates of Infant Mortality in U.S., Report Says
Personal Health
A Breathing Technique Offers Help for People With Asthma
By JANE E. BRODY
An alternative technique developed by a Russian doctor more than a half-century ago has been found effective in some trials.
Health Guide: Asthma »
Public Release: 3-Nov-2009
CHEST 2009
Chest
Statins may worsen symptoms in some cardiac patients
A new study presented at CHEST 2009, the 75th annual international scientific assembly of the American College of Chest Physicians, found that statins have beneficial effects on patients with systolic heart failure, but those with diastolic heart failure experienced the opposite effect, including increased dyspnea, fatigue and decreased exercise tolerance.
Contact: Jennifer Stawarz
jstawarz@chestnet.org
847-498-8306
American College of Chest Physicians
Public Release: 3-Nov-2009
CHEST 2009
Chest
Statins may prevent blood clots in patients with cardiovascular disease
New research presented at CHEST 2009, the 75th annual international scientific assembly of the American College of Chest Physicians, shows that patients with atherosclerosis receiving statin therapy had a significantly reduced risk of developing venous thromboembolism -- a collective term for DVT (blood clot) and pulmonary embolism -- than patients not on statin therapy.
Contact: Jennifer Stawarz
jstawarz@chestnet.org
847-498-8306
American College of Chest Physicians
Chinese challenge to 'out of Africa' theory
00:01 03 November 2009
A 110,000-year-old jawbone found in a cave in southern China is stirring the debate over whether humans originated in Africa
Public Release: 3-Nov-2009
JAMA
Report on H1N1 cases in California shows hospitalization can occur at all ages, with many severe
In contrast with some common perceptions regarding 2009 influenza A (H1N1) infections, an examination of cases in California indicates that hospitalization and death can occur at all ages, and about 30 percent of hospitalized cases have been severe enough to require treatment in an intensive care unit, according to a study in the Nov. 4 issue of JAMA.
Contact: Michael Sicilia
Michael.Sicilia@cdph.ca.gov
916-445-2108
JAMA and Archives Journals
Animated ink-blot images keep unwanted bots at bay
12:50 03 November 2009
The distorted letters we decipher to prove we are human, not a bot, are getting harder to use and easier to defeat – could images be the solution?
Public Release: 3-Nov-2009
Bioactive Lipids in Cancer, Inflammation and Related Diseases
Common pain relievers may dilute power of flu shots
With flu vaccination season in full swing, researchers caution that use of many common pain killers -- Advil, Tylenol, aspirin -- at the time of injection may blunt the effect of the shot and have a negative effect on the immune system.
US Public Health Service
Contact: Leslie Orr
leslie_orr@urmc.rochester.edu
585-275-5774
University of Rochester Medical Center
Public Release: 3-Nov-2009
Journal of Clinical Oncology
PMH finding may help some tonsil cancer patients avoid chemotherapy
Clinical researchers at Princess Margaret Hospital have confirmed that patients with oropharyngeal squamous cell cancer ("tonsil cancer") harbour a common type of human papilloma virus (HPV16), but also that such cancers are very sensitive to radiation. For some patients, this may mean successful treatment with radiation alone and avoiding the side effects of chemotherapy.
Ontario Institute for Cancer Research, Canadian Institutes of Health Research, Princess Margaret Hospital Foundation
Contact: Jane Finlayson
jane.finlayson@uhn.on.ca
416-946-2846
University Health Network
Fathers Gain Respect From Experts (and Mothers)
By LAURIE TARKAN
Having a father help with the child-rearing is important. Having a mother back him is more important.
Public Release: 3-Nov-2009
PLoS ONE
Not just bleach: Hydrogen peroxide may tell time for living cells
Common household chemical, also made naturally by living cells, appears to be involved in regulation of circadian rhythms, according to new study in PLoS ONE.
Contact: Carl Marziali
marziali@usc.edu
213-740-4751
University of Southern California
Injected cells stop body from attacking self
18:24 03 November 2009
A virtually unlimited supply of rare cells can now be produced in the lab to fight diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis in mice
Findings
Can You Believe How Mean Office Gossip Can Be?
By JOHN TIERNEY
A study at a Midwestern elementary school found the insults subtle and the conversations unpredictable.
3 November 2009
Science chief backs cannabis view
By Pallab Ghosh Science correspondent, BBC News
The UK government's chief science adviser has told BBC News that he supports the former chief drugs adviser's scientific view on cannabis.
Public Release: 4-Nov-2009
Gems & Gemology
Scientists are first to 'unlock' the mystery of creating cultured pearls from the queen conch
In their natural form, conch pearls are among the rarest pearls in the world. For more than 25 years, all attempts at culturing pearls from the queen conch have been unsuccessful -- until now. For the first time, novel and proprietary seeding techniques to produce beaded and non-beaded high-quality cultured pearls from the queen conch have been developed by scientists from FAU's Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institute.
Contact: Gisele Galoustian
ggaloust@fau.edu
561-297-2010
Florida Atlantic University
Public Release: 4-Nov-2009
53d Annual Meeting of the Human Factors and Ergonomics Society
Chart junk? How pictures may help make graphs better
Those oft-maligned, and highly embellished, graphs and charts in USA Today and other media outlets may actually help people understand data more effectively than traditional graphs, according to new research from North Carolina State University.
Contact: Matt Shipman
matt_shipman@ncsu.edu
919-515-6386
North Carolina State University
Poorer countries make drugs the rich world won't
UPFRONT:  14:28 04 November 2009
Newly industrialised countries of the global south are developing cheap treatments for tropical diseases neglected by western drug companies
Public Release: 4-Nov-2009
Journal of Neuroscience
Estrogen therapy likely must be given soon after menopause to provide stroke protection
For estrogen replacement to provide stroke protection, it likely must be given soon after levels drop because of menopause or surgical removal of the ovaries, scientists report in the Journal of Neuroscience.
Contact: Toni Baker
tbaker@mcg.edu
706-721-4421
Medical College of Georgia
Public Release: 4-Nov-2009
American Journal of Physical Anthropology
Hormone that affects finger length key to social behavior
Research at the universities of Liverpool and Oxford into the finger length of primate species has revealed that cooperative behavior is linked to exposure to hormone levels in the womb.
Contact: Samantha Martin
samantha.martin@liv.ac.uk
01-517-942-248
University of Liverpool
4 November 2009
Major quakes could be aftershocks
Many recent earthquakes may have been the aftershocks of large quakes that occurred hundreds of years ago, according to scientists.
Public Release: 4-Nov-2009
Applause for the SmartHand
Professor Yosi Shacham-Diamand of Tel Aviv University's Department of Engineering, working with a team of European Union scientists, has successfully wired a state-of-the-art artificial hand to existing nerve endings in the stump of a severed arm. The device, called "SmartHand," resembles -- in function, sensitivity and appearance -- a real hand.
Contact: George Hunka
ghunka@aftau.org
212-742-9070
American Friends of Tel Aviv University
Public Release: 4-Nov-2009
Nature
Carbon atmosphere discovered on neutron star
Evidence for a thin veil of carbon has been found on the neutron star in the Cassiopeia A supernova remnant. This discovery, made with NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory, resolves a ten-year mystery surrounding this object.
Contact: Megan Watzke
mwatzke@cfa.harvard.edu
617-496-7998
Chandra X-ray Center
Public Release: 4-Nov-2009
51st ASTRO Annual Meeting
Chemo-radiation before prostate removal may prevent cancer recurrence
Researchers in the Oregon Health & Science University Knight Cancer Institute and the Portland Veterans Affairs Medical Center have found a combination of radiation therapy and chemotherapy given before prostate removal is safe and may have the potential to reduce cancer recurrence and improve patient survival.
sanofi-aventis US Contact: Tamara Hargens-Bradley
hargenst@ohsu.edu
503-494-8231
Oregon Health & Science University
Public Release: 4-Nov-2009
Emerging Infectious Diseases
When should flu trigger a school shutdown?
As flu season approaches, parents around the country are starting to face school closures. But how bad should an influenza outbreak be for a school to shut down? A study led by Children's epidemiologists tapped a set of Japanese data to help guide decision making by schools and government agencies. The analysis was published by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in the November issue of Emerging Infectious Diseases.
Takemi Program, Japan Foundation for the Promotion of International Medical Research Cooperation, NIH/National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Disease, National Institutes of Health, Canadian Institutes of Health Research Contact: James Newton
james.newton@childrens.harvard.edu
617-919-3110
Children's Hospital Boston
Public Release: 5-Nov-2009
Current Biology
Babies' language learning starts from the womb
From their very first days, newborns' cries already bear the mark of the language their parents speak, reveals a new study published online on Nov. 5 in Current Biology, a Cell Press publication. The findings suggest that infants begin picking up elements of what will be their first language in the womb, and certainly long before their first babble or coo.
Contact: Cathleen Genova
cgenova@cell.com
617-397-2802
Cell Press
Mass extinction blamed on fiery fountains of coal
THIS WEEK:  17:19 05 November 2009
One of Earth's worst-ever mass extinctions may have been caused by carbon dioxide released by exploding mixtures of magma and coal
Public Release: 5-Nov-2009
Cancer Prevention Research
Does green tea prevent cancer? Evidence continues to brew, but questions remain
Although scientists are reluctant to officially endorse green tea as a cancer prevention method, evidence continues to grow about its protective effects, including results of a new study published in Cancer Prevention Research, a journal of the American Association for Cancer Research, which suggests some reduction in oral cancer.
Contact: Jeremy Moore
jeremy.moore@aacr.org
267-646-0557
American Association for Cancer Research
Public Release: 5-Nov-2009
Science
Gene therapy success in severe brain disorder applauded by the STOP ALD Foundation
First gene therapy success in boys with fatal brain disorder -- the Stop ALD Foundation, having spurred a successful European gene therapy trial, is now pressing to bring this therapy to the US. The foundation was started by families with children who have died or suffered from adrenoleukodystrophy, the disease highlighted in the movie Lorenzo's Oil. A report of the trial appears in the current issue of Science.
INSERM, Stop ALD Foundation, European Leukodystrophy Association, AP-HP, Association Française contre les Myopathies, others
Contact: Amber Salzman
amber@stopald.org
610-659-1098
The StopALD Foundation
Public Release: 5-Nov-2009
Clinical Journal of the American Society of Nephrology
Small increases in phosphorus mean higher risk of heart disease
Higher levels of phosphorus in the blood are linked to increased calcification of the coronary arteries -- a key marker of heart disease risk, according to a study in an upcoming issue of Clinical Journal of the American Society of Nephrology.
Contact: Shari Leventhal
sleventhal@asn-online.org
202-416-0658
American Society of Nephrology
Public Release: 5-Nov-2009
Blood
First use of antibody and stem cell transplantation to successfully treat advanced leukemia
For the first time, researchers at Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center have reported the use of a radiolabeled antibody to deliver targeted doses of radiation, followed by a stem cell transplant, to successfully treat a group of leukemia and pre-leukemia patients for whom there previously had been no other curative treatment options.
National Institutes of Health, Leukemia and Lymphoma Society of America, Damon Runyon Cancer Research Foundation, Edson Foundation, Frederick Kullman Memorial Fund
Contact: Dean Forbes
dforbes@fhcrc.org
206-667-2896
Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center
Public Release: 5-Nov-2009
Nature
Crossing the line: how aggressive cells invade the brain
Real-time observation sheds new light on multiple sclerosis.
Contact: Dr. Stefanie Merker
merker@neuro.mpg.de
49-898-578-3514
Max-Planck-Gesellschaft
Public Release: 5-Nov-2009
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences
1930s drug slows tumor growth
Drugs sometimes have beneficial side effects. A glaucoma treatment causes luscious eyelashes. A blood pressure drug also aids those with a rare genetic disease. The newest surprise discovered by researchers at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine is a gonorrhea medication that might help battle cancer.
Johns Hopkins Institute for Cell Engineering, Foundation for Advanced Research in the Medical Sciences
Contact: Audrey Huang
audrey@jhmi.edu
410-614-5105
Johns Hopkins Medical Institutions
Public Release: 6-Nov-2009
Blood test identifies women at risk from Alzheimer's
Middle-aged women with high levels of a specific amino acid in their blood are twice as likely to suffer from Alzheimer's many years later, reveals a thesis from the Sahlgrenska Academy at the University of Gothenburg, Sweden. This discovery this could lead to a new and simple way of determining who is at risk long before there are any signs of the illness.
Contact: Elin Lindström Claessen
elin.lindstrom@sahlgrenska.gu.se
46-317-863-869
University of Gothenburg
Was life founded on cyanide from space crashes?
15:55 06 November 2009
Comet and asteroid strikes may have seeded Earth with cyanide that prepared the planet for life
Public Release: 6-Nov-2009
SNM applauds House action to build medical isotopes reactor in the US
SNM applauds the US House of Representatives for its passage of H.R. 3276 -- the American Medical Isotopes Production Act of 2009.
Contact: Amy Shaw
ashaw@snm.org
703-652-6773
Society of Nuclear Medicine
Public Release: 6-Nov-2009
Less than 1 in 3 Toronto bystanders who witness a cardiac arrest try to help: Study
Researchers at St. Michael's Hospital working in conjunction with EMS services, paramedics and fire services across Ontario found that a bystander who attempts CPR can quadruple the survival rate to over 50 percent. But Dr. Laurie Morrison and the research team at Rescu have found only 30 percent of bystanders in Toronto are willing to help, one of the lowest rates of bystanders helping others in the developed world.
Contact: Julie Saccone
sacconej@smh.toronto.on.ca
416-864-5047
St. Michael's Hospital
Public Release: 6-Nov-2009
American Naturalist
Ants are friendly to some trees, but not others
Tree-dwelling ants generally live in harmony with their arboreal hosts. But new research suggests that when they run out of space in their trees of choice, the ants can get destructive to neighboring trees.
Contact: Kevin Stacey
kstacey@press.uchicago.edu
773-834-0386
University of Chicago Press Journals
2012: Six End-of-the-World Myths Debunked
National Geographic News
Opinion
Olivia Judson
License to Wonder
Yes, science relies on facts, but also on speculation and inspiration.